The Influence of English on Afrikaans

[p. 231]

7.15 Synonymous couplets

The semantic fields of the two (and occasionally three) words in the following couplets differ somewhat from those of the cognate forms in Dutch. In all these cases English has only one lexical item to cover the semantic fields of both members of the couplet and thus it seems quite possible that the division between the two, usually quite clear in Dutch, has become blurred in Afrikaans due to them both being equated with one semanteme in English. Grüner (1980: 5) calls the phenomenon reduksie-interferensie and Ostyn (1972: 75) comments on it being a recognised phenomenon in bilingualism:

‘In the literature on bilingualism it has been noticed that if an immigrant language has several words covering a semantic area and the English language has only one, it is often this foreign element that will be introduced into the lexicon of the immigrant language. In doing so, it automatically supplants the entire set of native terms.’

I do not intend to suggest that the words in all the following couplets are totally synonymous, but in certain contexts they show a synonymity that does not exist in Dutch.

[p. 232]

Similar ‘synonymous’ couplets where an indigenous word competes with an international loanword, are discussed in 7.4. However, materiaal/stof are mentioned here because they are a rare instance of the loanword being more common than the Germanic synonym and ignoreer/negeer have been included because both are loanwords in competition with each other.

In some of the cases mentioned below the popularity of one form over the other can be attributed to the (partial) homophony of that word with a cognate in English, for example: laas/vorig, pyp/leiding.

Generally speaking, the first word in each couplet occurs in contexts in Afrikaans where only the second is correct in Dutch, and not the reverse:

aansit/aantrek	-	to put on
aantrek/aanklee	-	to dress
afskrif/kopie (cf. kopie)	-	copy
bedoel/meen	-	to mean
been/graat	-	bone
behoort/moes	-	should (cf. p. 212)
beskikbaar/verkrygbaar	-	available
brein/harsings	-	brain(s)
buitekant/buite	-	outside
dink/bedink	-	to think
dis/gereg	-	dish
dop/skild	-	shell (tortoise)
draai/keer	-	to turn
gemeensaam/gebruiklik	-	common
getal/aantal	-	number
(jouself) geniet/amuseer	-	to amuse oneself
graad/mate	-	degree
hang/ophang	-	to hang (a man)
ignoreer/negeer	-	to ignore
Kersfees/Kersmis	-	Christmas (cf. Krismis on p. 196)
klank/geluid	-	sound
kopie/eksemplaar	-	copy
laasnag/gisteraand	-	last night
laas/vorig/verlede	-	last
leef/woon	-	to live
loods/gesagvoerder/piloot	-	pilot
lyk/uitsien	-	to look
materiaal/stof	-	material
meneer/heer	-	gentleman
middel/midde	-	middle
nodig hê/hoef	-	to need (cf. p. 212)

[p. 233]

nuuskierig/benieud	-	curious
omtrent/oor	-	about
onderwerp/vak	-	subject
onderwyser/leraar	-	teacher^28
onthou/jou herinner	-	to remember^29
oplui/opbel	-	to ring up^30
opvoeding/opleiding/opvoedkunde	-	education
ouderdom/leeftyd	-	age^31
prop/stekker/stopkontak	-	plug (cf. p. 224)
pyp/leiding	-	pipe
sak/tas	-	bag^32
sny/knip	-	to cut
soos/as	-	as (cf. p. 256-7)
span/ploeg	-	team
-sprekendes, -taliges	-	-speaking^33
suid van/ten suide van	-	south of
teël/pan	-	(roof) tile
teken/bord	-	sign (traffic sign etc.)
teken/spoor	-	sign (i.e. trace)
toevoeg/aanbou	-	to add
toon/vertoon	-	to show (cf. wys)
verf/skilder	-	to paint (as in art)
verhouding/betrekking	-	relation
verstaan/begryp	-	to understand
vertoning/voorstelling	-	show, performance
vet/dik	-	fat
vra/stel	-	to ask (a question)
vuur/brand	-	fire
waardeer/takseer	-	to value
wys/vertoon/laat sien	-	to show (cf. toon)

28 According to HAT, leraar can also have the meaning of ‘teacher’, as it does in Dutch (= secondary teacher), but this meaning is exceedingly rare.

29 cf. Van Oostrum and Heslinga (1937: 27)

30 cf. Le Roux (1926: 355)

31 Ostyn (1972: 213) found the same confusion of these two words in American Flemish. In addition leeftyd is found in the meaning of ‘lifetime’ because of its partial homophony with its cognate in English. (cf. p. 226)

32 See Hiemstra's (1980: 102) comments on handsak etc.

33 Cohen in Onze Taal 85 (4) claims that -talig is a relatively new formation in Dutch and is not used by the common man, but I am not sure whether I agree with him. If it is so, the preference for -sprekend in Afrikaans presumably has nothing to do with English influence.